In A Lifetime
by Parodys
Summary: A little bit of fluff and angst as the girls go shopping and save the world. Chapter 4 is new!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: They belong to Marvel. All hail Marvel.  
  
A/N: This is a one-shot attempt at understanding Monet's POV (as demanded by my sister) and from reading way too many Frodo/Sam stories. Somehow it evolved into what it is now, so THERE ARE WARNINGS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STORY TO PREVENT SPOILAGE. The only warning now is that you keep an open mind.   
  
Feedback: Please! It feeds the cravings :)  
  
In A Lifetime  
  
Of all of things I could have ever wanted, this one thing was taken away from me. Wrenched from my arms by unwitting and ungrateful pawns in Adrienne's games. Such games whose only rule was to hurt her elder sister. Surprisingly Emma lost the least of us that day.   
  
It was such pure joy when he kissed me that first time, his gentle arms so firm and confident about me. My teammates would laugh at this account, claiming that I have no need for things like love and affection. What they do not know is that a childhood barren of kindness has made me self-sufficient to be without.   
  
Why he didn't stay synched with me is a question only I know the answer to. In that instant the flames touched him, he knew that he would not survive. Telepaths bear burdens harder and longer than other mutants, and to share a death of a loved one is like reliving it for an eternity after. The yearn to follow becomes unbearable, the need to enter the brightness of hope beyond any craving found here on earth. In that instant of sacrifice he died alone so that I would not.   
  
If I could have looked into the future, seen his children...our children laughing as they ran and played. If I knew that he was going to die before becoming a man. Even my strength could not save him. His greatest power being that he could connect with all of us, share the intimate parts of his being so that we could share it with each other. Sharing when I could not.   
  
His blood still adorns the outfit I wore that day, a dark black patch that I am loathe to clean. Everytime I close my eyes I can see his face, feel the wounded flesh beneath my hands, smell the stench of burning rubble, and hear the screams that were my own. A telepath never forgets, each child I bear will have the remembrance of his face, and hint of laughter in their voices because he will not be forgotten. My very soul keeps a part of him, living each day so that he can see another. It is because of him I smile when someone makes a joke, it was his laughter that gave me joy and it was his life that gave me purpose.   
  
Out of everyone that I've lost his death was the darkest. I was too young to remember my mother and the twins were returned to me.   
  
It was because I kept his death so near to me that I was able to finally accept Jubilee's joy. For years she has managed to keep this spirit that I didn't think was possible after all that she had been through. Yes, I know of her pain, the nightmares that keep her screaming in the night. She may be shielded while awake but at night, when her defenses are down she allows them to slip.   
  
The first night she came back after being held by Bastion, she smiled and talked as if she was glad to be back. I was deep asleep ,when my dreams grew dark and brooding. Even after I awoke, I could feel the fear like a dark presence in my mind and the taste of panic bitter in my mouth. There was no moon that night, as if it shunned the earth knowing the pain that was happening on it. It was Jubilee's soft sobbing that drew me to her room, the fear growing as I came closer and closer until it almost became too much to bear. Apparently Bastion's forays into torturing had unleashed Jubilee's latent telepathy, and she was sending out such strong emotions it was a wonder that Xavier himself did not feel it. A wonder, but no surprise since there is none so blind that those who do not want to see it. Which explains Emma's lack of appearance or comment on the matter.  
  
I had never much liked the girl, she was far too exposed emotionally for my liking. It was only them that I realized she exposed only what she saw fit to share, and that was very little.   
  
She looked so young, lying there in the dark crying as if her heart would break. My power was never subtle, never soft but in the darkness I gently took her pain away. I could not erase her memories, it would not be fair to her, to ignore the suffering she went through, but I could ease the sting of them. I didn't probe too deeply, for it was hers to share and not mine, but what I did see kept me up the rest of the night. Not even her beloved Wolverine could guess what she went through.   
  
I never said anything, but night after night I strayed to her bedside to ease her sleep. She continued to laugh during the day and cry at night. Its amazing what the human heart suffers through in order to make other's happy.  
  
It was not long after that Everett and I kissed, and less than a month later he was dead. For once, my emotions were raw and on edge as I struggle to get through each day, each hour without him. I understood what it was that drove other to kill, because for the longest time all I wanted was blood. I needed the sticky, dark red liquid from those boys that saw fit to torment Ev's last few days and then last hour. I would have killed Adrienne if Emma hadn't.   
  
I would have slipped away if it hadn't been for Jubilee. Just two months after his death, she came to me offering nothing but a hug and someone to talk to. A simple offer of friendship that I lashed out at, belittling her. Jubilee is nothing if not surprising, and returned the next day with the same offer.   
  
It was not easy, to speak of ...him. Speaking to someone who loved him as well, made it easier. She found me up on the roof one night, clutching a jersey of his that had gotten left behind in my room somehow. The fabric still smelled of his cologne, and the taint of sweat. Her eyes flickered with sadness as she saw the garment, but she said nothing as she climbed up beside me with an ease that suggested that I was not the only one who ventured up here.   
  
Storms had thundered in the area earlier that morning, but as I looked up there were stars beyond number and the moon had decided to make an appearance. I suppose I should have felt grateful, but I could not bring a smile to my face. I found myself talking, speaking about his life and the way he was to the unjudging ear beside me. Unburdening my soul lasted until the sun began to creep up over the horizon, and I felt a wetness on my cheek. It appears the ice princess as I am called, is capable of tears after all. Jubilee said nothing, just embraced me until I stopped and then left me to the morning.  
  
In the day that followed, I found myself watching her. Seeing the unadultrated joy she took and demanded from a life that felt little need to please her. I admit it was intoxicating to be around. It took a long time to open my heart again, to accept that there could be one other in this lifetime for me. When I finally went to her, shy for the first time in my life, and kissed her, I could feel her smile.   
  
In the years that followed her nightmares became dreams, and my fears were worn away. My brother no longer plagued my thoughts and to the surprise of all I found I could laugh outloud. The sweetness of her arms chased away the anger and pain, and her laughter became real to those around her. Life is not perfect, but it is no longer bitter.  
  
It is because of Everett I was able to feel joy, and it was because of him that I able to embrace Jubilee and her joy now. Perhaps there is such a thing as fate, and perhaps we are all meant to have someone out of the billions on this planet. I had one and was given another. Of all of things I could have ever wanted, this one thing was taken away from me and by some miracle I received it again.   
  
-fin-  
  
Warnings: Slash (although very G-rated) between Monet and a female character, which means in laymen's terms that there are implied sexual situations between two characters of the same sex. Got a problem with that and leave now. Flames will not be tolerated. 


	2. The adventures of Senor Paranoid

  
Disclaimer: They ain't mine. Ya'll hear? 

A/N: This is from Jubilee's POV and it starts just after Everett's death, at the start of Monet and Jubilee's relationship. Thanks to Ray who not only helped with plot bunnies but offered bribery as well. :) 

Warning: PG-13, Slash (relationship between two female characters) 

_text italics are Jubilee's thoughts._   
*represents telepathic communications* 

Chapter 2   
Aftermath   


_I always thought that Bastion had hurt more than anyone else on this earth. I was wrong. When I was found, by accident, and came back to realize that no-one had missed me, it was like losing my family all over again. But I had to be the good girl, the strong girl, because if I didn't who would?_

_Night has never been my favorite time of day. On the streets, that's when you would hide in some dank hole hoping to god that no-one heard you breathing. I used to hear other girls being found, their cries as the gangs on the streets made sure we knew who was in charge. Bastion never touched me in the light of day, I think it exposed too much of him. It's easier to do things in the darkness, pretending no one watches as you perform acts of inhumanity that would make angels weep._

_So it's no wonder that I dreaded going to sleep that first night back. I snuck some of Emma's sleeping pills in the hopes I would be so far under that I would be past dreams. It turned out that I was so far under that I couldn't wake up. The memory of it still brings a surge of panic in my throat, hot and sour like bile rising up. His hands were hot and wet, slick with sweat from his excitement and I was screaming and screaming. My voice was nothing but a rasp when he eventually ravaged me, putting such filth into me that my soul was tarnished, blackened to the point where I cringed at my own reflection._

_Then, like a wisp of fresh air it was gone. Pain that had burned in my dreams was gently pushed away and all that was left was a sweet, and singular peace. And the one voice I did hear in the depths of that night was utterly beautiful and soothed the demons that swarmed and screamed in my ear._

_Sleep in peace it said, and for the first time weeks I was able to dream of nothing but happier days. Each night I was afraid that the monsters would return to haunt me and they never did. About two weeks after I had returned, I was drifting along the edges of sleep, when I heard a footstep in my doorway. Visitors in the dark have never come bearing good tidings, so when I saw Monet standing in the shadows staring at me the familiar panic began to choke._

_It was her voice that whispered in my mind, it was her voice that washed over me like a siren's song soothing away my hurts. Her mind touched mine so softly, it was like a butterfly brushing against my skin, sweet and exquisitely intense. I fell asleep with her touch in my dreams._

_I'll be honest I had never liked her. She was so emotionless and superior, that it made my teeth ache. And yet, I would have never expected her to take away my pain like that. It seems as though my shields were not as strong as I thought and each night she would come in and ease me into sleep. I began to watch her more closely, and discovered that the ice-princess in our midst was far from what any of us had expected. I think Ev managed to see that before any of us, and it was with him that she shined. He could make her smile like she had been touched by starlight. I loved him, she needed him and Everett was never one to ignore someone in need._

_Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if he had chosen me and not her. But then I would have never seen her cry. After his death she was so angry, you could see the sheer rage in her eyes whenever anyone faced off with her in a training session. Those useless, long training sessions that Sean desperately put us through in an effort to prevent any more deaths. No one had the heart to tell him that it was too late. Our team had failed the moment Emma lost sight of anything but her need for revenge._

_After that night, and the many nights after I would find myself watching her. Wolverine is so different in comparison to her. He wears his emotions right out there, there is never any question how he feels or when he feels it. With M it was different, and if she ever showed an emotion it was always irritation, usually at me. It occurred to me that if I could find that chink in her armor, then it was possible for me to find another one. Or, if all else failed attack it with a drill._

-in- 

"Watch out guys." Angelo muttered under his breath as Monet stalked towards them. Less than an hour ago the girl had blown up over the milk being sour at breakfast, nobody was willing to take the chance to find out if she was still ticked off, as they found other things to be intensely interested in as she joined them. 

No one said anything as they waited for Sean to appear, it was another one of his training sessions although what they were training for remained to be seen. It seemed as if they had already paid the ultimate price and the hours spent fighting some imagined enemy was pointless. 

"This is stupid." Jubilee commented while examining her nails for flaws. "It's eight am on a Saturday morning and we're going to be doing jumping jacks to satisfy Senor Paranoid." 

"Not quite, Jubilee." Sean's presence made the group flinch guiltily. "We're going to do one on one face-offs." Ignoring the groans Sean adjusted his uniform, making a point to meet Jubilee's eye. "And being paranoid might save a life." 

"It didn't save Ev." 

Sean blanched and turned to look at Monet who was staring at him impassively. "What?" 

"Or Moira for that matter." 

There was dead silence for a moment before Jubilee stepped between the two of them. "Chill out both of you. We're here to train not bite each other's heads off. Okay?" She grinned and poked Sean in the stomach affectionately. "Who's with who?" 

The color returned to his face as he slowly calmed down, finally managing a smile for the younger girl. "Angelo yer with Paige, Jubilee and Monet are a team and Jono will train with me. The one rule is that there are no rules. Anything goes save for a fatality. I can't prepare ya fer real life if ya don't experience the same conditions. Let's go." 

Pairing off, the team scattering around the ground far enough to prevent any interaction between them, although Jubilee could feel the sympathetic looks from her friends. Although the sessions were meant to mimic real life battle conditions, Monet took the game further than anyone else. Angelo had been the latest member to pair up with the girl and had come out of it with several bruises and two strained tendons that had been on the verge of breaking when Sean had eventually pulled Monet off him. 

"So are ya ready?" Jubilee glanced at Monet just in time to see a fist flying in her direction. The blow knocked her off her feet, sending her tumbling in the tall grass. "God, M give a person some kind of warning." 

The older girl just hovered in the air, the wind lashing her hair around her face. "There are no warnings in real life Jubilee, or have you forgotten that?" 

Jubilee dived behind what was left of a wall as she fired a volley of plasma bursts that exploded around Monet, who momentarily dropped to the ground as she was blinded. The strength of her bursts were augmented and didn't pose any real damage to the nearly invulnerable body of the older girl. 

Furious, Monet kicked the wall sending shards of brick and mortar everywhere. "I'm not a child, you don't need to hold back on your powers for me." 

"I wasn't." Jubilee replied from behind her, sending out enough explosive power to level a small building. 

From Monet's perspective it wasn't enough to kill her, but it was enough to stun her unconscious for a few seconds as she hurtled against the wall. 

_Did I say drill? Maybe I should've said TNT_. 

Monet was not pleased when she woke up and had forced Jubilee to spend the rest of the morning in hand to hand combat, unwilling to back down until Jubilee had gotten tired of it and walked off. 

Later that afternoon Jubilee was lounging out on the patio drinking lemonade when Angelo joined her. He sat beside her on the lawn chair and poured himself a glass of the pink liquid. 

"Rough day?" 

Jubilee shrugged. "Not too bad." 

"Tough luck getting stuck with the ice princess. Man, I'm still hurtin from some of the moves she put on me." 

Wiping the dew off her glass, Jubilee flicked the moisture at him. "Didn't think you couldn't take it from a girl." 

Angelo held up his hands defensively. "I'd have problems taking it from anyone who dishes it out like she does. How the hell you lasted all morning with her is beyond me.* 

"You like someone to vent to, maybe it's her way." 

"Yeah, but my venting never involved beating the crap out of a charming and handsome teammate, Jubecita. There are better ways." 

"Sure, but when have any of us done things the easy way. Just look at Wolvie when gets upset, he ends up trekking across the middle of nowhere until he works whatever it is out." 

"Point taken." Angelo poured himself another glass, squinting in the sunlight as Jubilee got up. "Where are you going?" 

"I'm going to try and be a ventee for M...or a venter...no...she's going to be doing the venting so I guess I would be the ventee...unless the venter is the ventee and then I don't know what that would make me...." Jubilee trailed off thoughtfully. 

Angelo peered at the glass in his hand. "Jubes, how much sugar did you put in this?" 

"Double the directions and some." Jubilee replied as she headed inside. 

Carefully putting down the glass, Angelo decided not to drink anymore before he discovered what 'double the directions and some' was exactly. 

-in- 

It was evening before Jubilee finally found Monet who had sunk down into the basement television room, ignored by everyone on the team with the exception of Jono who only used the room to play video games occasionally. The TV was on a nameless cartoon channel and the older girl was staring mindlessly at the screen. 

"Hey M." Jubilee plopped herself down on the couch beside her, brushing off some old magazines to make room. "Whatcha watchin?" 

After a moment of silence Jubilee nodded her head agreeably. "Yeah, I like Spongebob too. Personally I prefer some of the more off beat cartoons now. Ever watch Mission Hill?" 

Monet continued to stare at the screen, not bothering to comment. 

"Oh, that's right. You sat through an episode last week. Now, I don't know if you actually remember, but that was the episode when that creepy store owner...." 

The television clicked off and Monet glared at Jubilee. "Why are you here? I know it isn't to have a one-sided conversation about colored pictures moving on a screen, no matter how much sugar you've had." 

"Fine. What do you want to watch?" 

"Nothing! I just want to be left alone if you can comprehend that for a moment." 

"I thought you might want to talk. Ya know, converse on a variety of topics? Care to try it?" 

Monet got up and headed to the stairs. "Not really." 

Jubilee jumped up from her spot and laid a hand on Monet's shoulder. Less than a second later Jubilee was pinned against the wall with a furious teenager an inch away from her face. "Leave me alone, you're the last person I want to talk to now." She dropped Jubilee to the ground and disappeared upstairs, a series of slams marking her progress. 

"Okay, so no hug then." 

_Ouch. Nothing like having those words coming to bite me in the ass. I think I've changed my mind about M, she's a lot more like Wolvie than I thought. He's good at showing anger, but not much good at showing anything else. Hell it took him years to admit that he might actually think of me as a daughter. Monet and Wolvie...secret long lost twins?_

_Nah, but that would be easier to pull off then what I'm thinking of. Ya think you know a person and then they go and take away your nightmares for weeks on end. Figures that M would make my life complicated._

-fin- 


	3. Guilt and Grief

Disclaimer: I don't own them...Marvel does. 

A/N: This is just a short interlude in the saga of Monet and Jubilee while I work on other   
fics...one of them being the Graduation finale. _Text in italics are thoughts of Monet._

In a Lifetime: Chapter 3   


The next day rose unnoticed behind a bank of heavy clouds that covered the sky in gray.   
Each student moved around the mansion doing their own thing, the events of just a few   
weeks ago still too fresh. Sean had disappeared into his suite, and as Monet paused   
outside his door she could hear soft weeping. His grief over Moira was intense, acting   
like a battering ram against her shields. 

Frowning, Monet moved away unable to take the constant flood of emotion, uneasy since   
she had lashed out at him the day before. Unsettled because she felt nothing for the   
man's hurt. What if not another's grief, could she relate to? It disturbed her more than   
she cared to admit, for despite what the other's thought of her, she felt things deeply. 

Reaching out, she mentally tagged each of the members in the house. Jonothon was   
listening to music in the basement, Angelo was smoking out on the porch, Paige was   
buried in a book and Jubilee was in the kitchen. Adjusting her angle slightly, Monet   
veered towards the kitchen to find a very irritated girl angrily drinking coffee. 

The image struck her as odd, and for a brief second Monet got a picture of what an older   
Jubilee must look like that dissolved the instant Jubilee saw her and smiled. "Hey M." 

Retrieving a mug from the shelf, Monet poured herself a cup of the hot black liquid,   
noticing that the girl's cup didn't have the usual cream and sugar doused in it. "Good   
morning Jubilee. What's wrong?" 

"Headache, a big one. Whopper in fact. And not the nice grilled, no onion with cheese   
kind. I think it may be vying for migraine status." Her hand rubbed wearily at her head,   
her blue eyes rimmed with red. 

"Do you know why?" Monet refrained from touching her brow, trying to think back to   
the night before. Despite her anger that night, she had gone to Jubilee's bedside and   
swept her dreams clean. Her mind picked over every detail trying to think of some thing   
she had overlooked, some reason that Jubilee might have had a nightmare after all. 

Jubilee's piercing blue eyes met hers momentarily. "I slept fine, like always. Everything   
seems so heavy today for some reason." She struggled for a moment to describe the odd   
sensation she was feeling. "It's like my brain is under an anvil." 

Monet chewed her lip, considering her next few words carefully. "Do you think it might   
be possible that you're experiencing an emotional overload? Sean's... grief is making it   
hard to maintain my shields. Perhaps it's the same for you?" 

"My walls have always been natural, I never considered building them from scratch. How   
would I do that?" Jubilee looked up from her coffee with interest. 

Mentally wincing Monet forced herself to meet Jubilee's eyes. "You'd have to tear them   
down and start from the beginning." 

Panic flashed for a brief moment before being buried under a cheerful, "Well, migraine it   
is then." 

Exposing the mind meant exposing memories and neither were ready to share that much   
pain. Jubilee stared into her cup, trying to think of anyone she was willing to share that   
much of herself with. Both Emma and Jonothan were far from up to the task, neither   
lacking the empathy require. The Professor would be devastated that she had endured so   
much and Jean would feel immeasurably guilty. Only Monet could handle it and Jubilee   
was unwilling to subject the girl to any more pain. It would not be worth it. 

Jubilee forced a smile. "Want to go shopping later?" 

"Whatever." Stiff and angry, Monet stalked out of the room although she was unsure as   
to why she was really angry. 

-in- 

_As Rogue would tell anyone there are perks to being invulnerable. As Rogue would also_   
_say, it is the bane of those who carry it. Hank never tested my powers fully, between_   
_everything that happened it never seemed like the right time. Perhaps if he had, I would_   
_have not wasted so much time those months after Ev died.___

_I had so many powers that it seemed like a gift than those that hate their mutation. After_   
_all I can fly, read minds, have super strength and am nearly invulnerable. Of the last I_   
_can attest to the lengths I went to find out how true that was. Skin like outs does not scar_   
_so that the eye can see it. If it did, I would be riddled with them. There was no bad guy_   
_out there that was bad enough, none that had the power to do what I so desperately_   
_sought. I didn't want to die, but I didn't shirk death either. To be honest, I would have_   
_welcomed it with open arms.___

_I never knew how much I needed to share with someone until Jubilee told me that she_   
_didn't want me to help her. The meeting of two minds is such an intimate thing, perhaps_   
_after nights of watching her sleep I've created an intimacy that doesn't exist. The sad_   
_thing is that if it is a lie, I don't want it to end._

-in- 

Monet sat, perched among the rubble staring out at the sun making it's way across the   
sky. 

"Hey you." Jubilee leaned her head on Monet's shoulder giving the girl a squeeze, taking   
a kind of casual liberty that none of the others even dared. Not even the twins ever   
touched her with the freedom that Jubilee automatically assumed. "I didn't mean to hurt   
your feelings. I don't think either of us is ready for that kind of pain just yet." 

"I can handle it." Monet muttered. 

"Maybe, but I can't." Jubilee said softly, her voice somber. She scooted M over, and sat   
down. The two sat in silence for a few moments before Jubilee nudged her good   
naturedly. "Was it like this when your powers manifested?" 

"The migraine?" 

Jubilee nodded, her hand going unconsciously to her brow to massage it. 

"Yes, especially when there are strong emotions around. It gets better with time." 

"That's what they said about vegetables, Elvis and muzak. Excuse me if I don't believe   
you." she snorted. 

"It does." Monet assured her, and her breath hitched. Before she could control herself,   
she felt her eyes burn with tears. Her face flushed with embarrassment and she turned   
away. 

"And maybe it doesn't." Jubilee gathered up the larger girl in her arms, ignoring her   
stiffen at the intrusion. When it became apparent Jubilee wasn't going to let go, M laid   
her head on the girl's lap and let herself cry. 

-in-   



	4. The Color of Platinum

Disclaimer: We all know I don't own the characters right? Right?

A/N: The song is something my twisted friends from boarding school used to sing when they were bored..usually when it was 5 am and on the weekend. 

Chapter 4: The color of platinum

"Good morning Mr. Sun!" 

_Bounce Bounce_   
  
"The day has just begun!"   
  
_Bounce_   


"Get out bed you sleepy-head!"   
  
_Bounce Bounce Bounce_   
  
"It's time for some fun!"   
  
Off key and shrill singing dragged the slumbering girl from the land of Nod to the land of the living dead. Monet groaned, trying to think if she had suddenly died and ended up in some hell that she had forgotten about. A hell that bounced on her bed. Cracking one eye open, she found Jubilee grinning at her about two inches away from her face. "That explains the bed moving." she muttered to herself, allowing Jubilee to pull her covers off. "What do you want?"   
  
"We are shopping today. Emma forgot one of her credit cards and I found out that there's a huge limit. Hence, shopping. And then I thought, who is a good person to go shopping with? M."   
  
"Lucky me. Can't you find someone else with super strength?" Monet tried to look at her alarm clock but couldn't see around the bouncing 16 year old.   
  
Jubilee paused mid-bounce and frowned. "Stamina is good but I wanted you to come because you're fun to be around. Fun. Really." She added as M's raised eyebrow spoke volumes.   
  
"Fine. what time do you want to leave?" Monet got up, and stretched accidentally displacing Jubilee who landed on the bed with a thud.   
  
"I wanted to leave at six but you took forever to wake up. How about in half an hour?" Jubilee skipped out of the room, leaving M in a sudden calm. Monet could hear her thudding down the stairs yelling at Sean for the keys to the jeep, and without pausing to consider the ethics of the situation, continued to eavesdrop on the girl as she ran into Angelo.   
  
"Where ya going Jubecita?"   
  
"Mall with M."   
  
"Lose a bet or you just like being miserable?" Monet winced but didn't withdraw, getting dressed rather absently.   
  
"I like her, a lot."   
  
Angelo laughed sarcastically. "You've never liked each other."   


"She may have not been my favorite person when we first met. She's a good friend, Ange. You should give her a chance."   
  
"If you two haven't killed each other by the end of today I will. Need some company?"   
  
"Nope, I just kinda wanted it to be me and M."   
  
Monet finished dressing with a smile tugging at her lips, who knew a hyperactive mall rat could make her smile?   
  
-in-   
  
"Exactly how are you planning to justify this when Emma finds out about this?" Monet carefully sipped something called a _Mocha Java Double Expresso Freeze Special, recommended by Jubilee and handed over by a dubious server.   
  
Jubilee chugged the last of her drink and tossed the empty cup into the trash. "We have been severely traumatized by the absence of our beloved head-mistress, suffering from separation anxiety we sought solace in the mall to fill some of the empty, aching void that Emma tore from our very souls by her desertion of her duty and charges."   
  
Monet looked impressed. "And you get C's in school?"   
  
Shrugging modestly, Jubilee shifted her bags slightly. "It's mostly from watching way too many episodes of Ally McBeal and over bearing social workers. And Jerry."   
  
"Sure."   
  
"Okay, I used to listen in on my parent's lawyer a lot. He was a truly skeezy individual, but very interesting to watch."   
  
"Apparently. So, what next?" Monet watched Jubilee's eyes glaze over, a sign she was beginning to recognize as the start of some idea that would either end up in Gen X legends or detention.   
  
-in-

When: Two hours later

Where: A private concord jet   
  
"Do I even want to know where we are going?" Monet asked distractedly, as she sipped sparkling apple juice.   
  
"We are going to Paris. Fashion capital of the world and home of some of the best jeans in the universe. I need some serious over-priced clothing shopping while people fawn over my every whim and need."   
  
Monet shrugged. "I think it gets boring after a while."   
  
Jubilee grinned evilly. "You forget you're talking to a former little rich girl. You just were never doing it right."   
  
-in-   
  
It wasn't much later that Monet watched in amusement as Jubilee swept into an expensive designer shop with an aura that just dripped money. Gone was the carefree Californian blader, and instead Jubilee was literally transformed into a self-assured woman. It would have worried her if she hadn't seen Jubilee give her a tiny wink, before sighing loudly.   
  
"Madamoiselle, what may we do for you?"   
  
"Oh nothing, it's just that I'm just _parched_. Could I have a glass of orange juice, no pulp, and a bottle of sparkling water for my friend here."   
  
The aforementioned items materialized within moments only to have Jubilee shake her head disparagingly. "That is Florida orange juice. I can drink nothing but Californian."   
  
Five different glasses were brought out, but were each dismissed. ("There's a speck.", "I said no pulp, why is there pulp in here?", "Her mineral water requires a certain percentage of iron. She can't drink this." "What did you do? Put metal shavings in this water?" "I can only drink from a hand-blown glass. Otherwise it's perfect.") It wasn't long before the once slightly pompous women in the shop were tired, angry and ready to kill the girl.   
  
Jubilee got rid of the women finally, and the two teenagers spent a happy half and hour trying on the latest jeans. Monet came out her cubicle and twirled for Jubilee. The younger woman grinned at the image, and ran her hands down M's hips as if she was checking the fit. To M it felt more like a caress and she could feel a goose bumps trail where Jubilee's path.   
  
"How does it look?" Monet's voice was strangely hoarse. "I don't really wear jeans that often."   
  
"No kidding." Taking one last look, Jubilee motioned for one of the assistants to bring her a gauzy shirt that she had been eyeing earlier. "This and that would go great together. Feel like taking a trip on the wild side and buying some actual jeans?"   
  
"Why not?" Monet twirled in the mirror, ignoring the sharp stab of hurt at Jubilee's words.   
  
Suppressing a sigh, Jubilee regarded the older teenager in front of her. Perhaps it was because their relationship had grown, or perhaps it was because Jubilee's powers were getting stronger, or even just a feeling born of empathy but Jubilee realized the sting of the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. The once stoic image of Monet had been replaced with a rather sensitive girl who took things to heart. Giving the girl a playful bump on the hip, Jubilee smiled apologetically. "It wasn't a dig M, just a simple comment. How many jeans are currently in your closet?"   
  
"One...do slacks count?"   
  
"My point exactly. Now, what do you want to do after we've bought everything possible here? I'm starved."   
  
Monet brightened considerably. "I know of fabulous restaurant just a couple of streets down."   
  
Jubilee tried to smile but failed miserably. "I was kind of hoping you knew if there was a McDonalds around somewhere."   
  
The grin on Monet's face spread, and she waved the assistants to ring up the clothes. "If I can buy jeans for you, you can eat actual food for me."   
  
-in-   
  
"It's gross and it wiggles. Are you sure there aren't any burgers on the menu?"   
  
"Don't worry, I ordered the fois gras. You get the salmon."   
  
A fork trembled for a moment, hovering above a nameless vegetable. "I don't see any fish."   
  
Monet resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "It's just a mousse appetizer. Fish will be coming next."   
  
Jubilee shot her a look. "Doesn't it bother you that you're eating from an animal that's been forced fed it's entire life by shoving a hard metal tube down it's throat and pumping its stomach full of cornmeal?"   
  
"Does it bother you that you eat a breakfast cereal made entirely from chemicals and five different types of refined sugar?"   
  
"At least my food doesn't involve cruelty to a harmless animal." Jubilee shot back, spearing an asparagus stalk.   
  
"Says the girl who manages to slowly poison her body with the crap you eat daily." Monet sipped a glass of sparkling cider. "I'm surprised you haven't started glowing neon by now."   
  
Their conversation was cut short by a call from Sean who informed then that just a few streets down there was a 'situation' taking place. Monet shut off her phone and smiled wanly at Jubilee. "Ready to go save the day for no pay, no appreciation and a world of hurt?"   
  
"A world of hurt for the baddie M," Jubilee admonished lightly. "We kick bad-guy ass for fun, and the knowledge that someday we are going to get a final nyah to everyone."   
  
"You promise?"   
  
Jubilee grabbed her arm as they hurried outside. "I garuntee it." She assured the older girl in her best Remy accent.   
  
-in-

Several hours later

Academy   
  
"He wanted to take over the world?" Sean paused mid-dab as he disinfected one of several cuts on Jubilee's face and back.   
  
"With an...ow....French accent...ow.. no less."   
  
"That still dinnae explain why he wanted to blow up the Eiffel tower," Sean rewound the video tape that the news had shot on the whole fiasco. "Or the outfit."   
  
Jubilee snickered between her ouches. "He said that the Eiffel tower was an alien telecommunication device invented to transmit our brain waves for them to feed off of and learn our secrets. The purple pyramid on his head was to prevent the aforementioned sucking of brains."   
  
"An' that's when Monet hit him?"   
  
"I blinded him, but we were afraid that one of my sparks might set off some of the weirdo gadgets in his hand so she decked him. Some of the doodads exploded anyway, hence the cuts and bruises."   
  
Sean prodded a particularly ugly welt that was beginning to form a dark shade of crimson. "Aye, it looks a lot worse than it actually is though. We'll have ya take it easy for a few days. Have ya seen Monet around? She just dropped you off here and left."   
  
Jubilee blinked, a little surprised. She had felt the anger of Monet almost as soon as the girl had dropped her off in the Med Lab, it's darkness washing the surrounding area like a turbulent sea. "She's in the Danger Room, but she's a little angry right now. Maybe we should wait."   
  
"I need to know if she's been hurt or not." Sean insisted stubbornly.   
  
Sighing, Jubilee jumped off the bed and waved off Sean who was looking concerned. "I'll talk to her and see if she's alright and then I'll go to bed. Trust me," she added when he kept on moving towards her. "she's pissed and she'll tear apart anyone who walks in there."   
  
Already knowing the answer, Sean asked the question anyway. "What makes ye think the lass won't hurt you?"   
  
"She just won't." She was self-assured and calm, an attitude Sean had seen Jubilee assume several times before. It was when she was with Monet on the practice field, and when Wolverine was at his most feral. There was something about the girl that touched these lonesome souls, something that yearned out to be protected, and watched over. Sean shook his head, it was more than that. Perhaps it was an acceptance of who they were, having seen the very worst and still remaining by their side. Whatever it was, Sean was glad that Jubilee was there. He was afraid that after Everett's death he would lose Monet to grief and later anger. In the past few weeks Jubilee had managed to circumvent those defenses and touch a side of Monet that he was sure few, if any had ever seen.   
  
Instead of voicing his thoughts, Sean merely nodded. "Fine, be careful."   
  
Jubilee agreed, although the tone of her voice suggested that the very thought was ridiculous. It wasn't much later that she made her way to the Danger Room, the floor shaking with intermittent thuds as she got closer to the shut doors.   
  
Keying in the access code, Jubilee walked in to a gym sequence. It must have been one of the Shi'ar's original training programs because a variety of aliens worked out around the floor. It took her awhile to find the girl amid the creatures exercising, and walked up to her as she pounded a punching bag that had been modified to withstand the blows being rained upon the leather.   
  
"You know Wolvie likes to kick Sabretooth's ass when he's pissed off. Would you prefer that better to pounding a defenseless bag?" Jubilee commented lightly as she leaned against a piece of equipment that looked like a cross between a charley horse and a trampoline.   
  
"I'm fine." Sweat trickled down Monet's back. "Better the bag than someone's head."   
  
Jubilee threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine. I get it. You are angry. Very angry at someone or something apparently. Who is it? Sean, Emma, Ev?"   
  
"I'm angry at you." Monet muttered under her breath as she continued to pummel the bag. "How could you have been so careless? I told you I had the situation under control, there was no reason for you to even get into the line of fire. None."   
  
"If you are really angry at me then be angry at me." Jubilee stepped up the bag and shoved it out of the way to stand directly in Monet's path. "Don't torture the bag, hit me. Trust me, no matter what you, or Sean or the professor might think , I can take it."   
  
"I don't want to hit you."   
  
"That's never stopped you before. I understand you're angry, I even understand why you might be angry at me but at least take responsibility for your feelings. Hit. Me."   
  
Monet laughed hollowly, as if she sure that there was something infinitely funny about the whole situation, she just couldn't find it. "I'd crush you."   
  
Despite her eye already starting to swell, Jubilee narrowed her eyes. "Ah yes, the great and powerful M would just make me eat dust. As I recall we never did prove that did we? We were interrupted."   
  
"You just be glad that Sean showed up when he did." Monet said a tad smugly.   
  
"No M, you lucked out." Jubilee said seriously. "I was angry enough to do some major damage to you." 

"I'm still not going to hit you." 

"Fine." Jubilee shrugged as a blast of plasma exploded from her hands. "Then I'm going to hit you."

-in-

A/N: Am I going to be this cruel and leave you with a cliffhanger? Yes I am for the sole reason that I rarely ever do. Reviews are loved and appreciated. I got tired of the whole lovey dovey crap that I was doling out and wanted to bring back the whole antagonism thing that we love about M and Jubes in the first place. Let me know what you thought.  



End file.
